The Buffalo Sabres are known for taking their draft picks and developing them within their system more than most clubs. Players like Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek were draft picks who played for Buffalo’s AHL affiliate and worked their way up to the NHL.
Since so much of the Sabres’ current success relies on their draft selections, I took a look at who they have drafted and which countries their draft picks are from.
I used a pool of 20 players—all of whom where drafted in 2001 or later—and looked at their nationalities to see if there was any kind of pattern.
Included in the pool of players are 10 players who are currently on the Sabres’ roster, seven who are top prospects within the organization, and three who are no longer with the club.
Out of the 20 players used in the pool, seven are from the United States—that’s 35 percent for those of you who aren’t very good with math.
Another seven of the players are from Canada—so 70 percent of the Sabres’ draft picks in this pool are from North America.
Of the other six players not from North America, two are from Sweden, two are from Slovakia, one is from the Czech Republic, and one is from Austria (just a hint, but the one from Austria’s last name rhymes with “panic”).
In the last three entry drafts, Buffalo has used its first pick on a player from North America. The last player drafted from outside of North America was Dennis Persson from Sweden back in 2006.
As previously stated, only three players of the 20 I used are no longer in the Sabres’ organization, which puts the retention rate at a whopping 85 percent.
Buffalo’s best selection since 2001 was obviously in 2008 when they traded up for the 12th pick and drafted rookie sensation Tyler Myers.
While many of the Sabres’ draft picks from 2001 to 2004—Roy, Vanek, Jason Pominville, Drew Stafford, Clarke MacArthur, Pat Kaleta, and Andrej Sekera—have developed into solid, everyday players, their more recent draft picks are still developing with their AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates.
Given the recent success of Myers and all of the buzz around players like Nathan Gerbe, Tyler Ennis, and Jhonas Enroth, it appears that Buffalo has even more talent on the rise.
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According to various sources, the Buffalo Sabres are very keen on acquiring Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu from the Anaheim Ducks. The Sabres have also been reportedly contacting the Carolina Hurricanes for Ray Whitney, however due to Whitney’s desire for a contract extension, the Sabres are holding off for now.
As for the Anaheim rumour, it really isn’t so much about who’s coming in but rather who will be leaving that makes this rumour interesting. Both Selanne and Koivu have a cap hit of around $ 3 million. With the Sabres cap space only being about $ 2 million, Darcy Regier would have to send $ 5 million dollars in cap back to the Ducks in order to maintain a reasonable amount of cap space.
So who will be the $5 million going the other way? Well, if this deal is going to be two players for two players, then one might suggest that Jochen Hecht and Drew Stafford could be on their way out. The Anaheim Ducks are keen on getting rid of their old players and acquiring young, but NHL ready talent and Drew Stafford fits that category.
Of course, to give up such a player, the Sabres would also ask Anaheim to take their dead weight, Jochen Hecht. This is a pretty good deal for either team but there is no guarantee that the ducks want this to be an even 2-for-2 trade.
Perhaps the Anaheim Ducks are keen on making this a bigger deal in which instead of young and developed talent like Stafford, they might want draft picks and prospects that have yet to enter the NHL. If Anaheim were to really be interested in acquiring young prospects, then I’m almost positive they would have asked about Luke Adam. Adam is having a great year in the QMJHL and he also was also great in the world junior championships.
Another thought is that Sabres might trade one or more defenseman to Anaheim. Names such as Toni Lydman, Chris Butler, and even Andrej Sekera could all be thrown into the mix. The only problem with this is that as of this recent losing streak, the Sabres might be on the hunt for a defenseman.
Chances are that if this rumour is true, then it is probably safe to say that Anaheim came forward with this deal. Knowing that they aren’t contenders this year topped with the fact that Buffalo is in need of two way forwards (and leaders) makes this deal a no brainer.
One thing is for sure though, with the Sabres hanging on (barely) to the division lead, the Sabres will at least attempt to land a couple of players to try and keep pace with the East’s elite.
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The Buffalo Sabres have found ways to win all season long without a true “standout” forward. As a matter of fact, the Sabres are one of just 10 teams in the NHL with every forward averaging less than 20 minutes of ice-time per game.
The other nine teams with all forwards averaging less than 20 minutes on the ice so far this season are the Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Phoenix Coyotes, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, and the Nashville Predators.
The Atlanta Thrashers technically do not have a forward over 20 minutes now that Ilya Kovalchuk is gone, but I’m not letting them off the hook. The new Devil actually leads the league in ice-time for forwards—he averages 22:17 per game.
But how has Buffalo stayed at the top of their division for a majority of the season? The answer is balance.
Again, before we go any further, the ice-time in this article only applies to forwards—so do not bring defensemen into the conversation.
The Sabres currently have seven forwards with at least 12 goals—every player on one of the “top” two lines is in that group of seven. Every player on Buffalo’s third line has at least eight goals, and Pat Kaleta has eight goals on the fourth line.
The only teams with their leader in ice-time playing less than Buffalo’s leader in ice-time are Boston and St. Louis. Buffalo’s ice-time leader is Derek Roy at 18:49. Roy technically plays on the second line.
The biggest name among Buffalo’s forwards is Thomas Vanek. But the $7.14 million-dollar man is averaging less than 17 minutes of ice-time per game, and there are currently four other forwards playing more than him.
Buffalo’s leading point scorer this season, Tim Connolly, is second on the team in ice-time, averaging 18:40 per game. He has 52 points in 57 games so far this season.
The third and fourth liners are often entrusted with important penalty-killing minutes, which balances the team’s ice-time even further.
And while the same third and fourth liners are more defensive specialists than anything else, they are also scoring important goals this year.
Buffalo’s first two lines—which usually consist of Roy, Vanek, Connolly, Drew Stafford, Jason Pominville, and Clarke MacArthur—are obviously the most talented lines on the team.
However, the balanced scoring provided by the third and fourth lines does not allow opposing teams to focus on the first two lines as much as they would like to—this is the root of Buffalo’s success.
The problem with truly relying on a four-line system is that when one or two of the lines have a bad night, it makes it extremely difficult for the Sabres to win—as Buffalo does not have that one MVP-caliber player who can take the game into his hands.
Whereas in Washington, if three lines have a bad night, the Capitals can sometimes—although it seems like every night—rely on Alex Ovechkin to take the game into his hands and win it for them.
I guess the most applicable phrase to Buffalo’s situation would be, “Live by the sword, die by the sword”—pun is completely intended.
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It may be easy for Buffalo Sabres fans to look at goaltender Ryan Miller and put much of the blame for the team’s recent debacle on him, but it’s also fair to say the stand-pat approach head coach Lindy Ruff has taken has more to do with his team’s issues.
But with a record of three wins against seven losses in their last 10 games, it’s finally time for Ruff to take back his team.
After jumping out to a commanding lead in the division, Buffalo now finds themselves stuck in a downward spiral that seems to have no end in sight. The Ottawa Senators have put together a 10-win streak that has them chomping at the Sabres’ heels to take the lead in the division.
Whether it be poor goal-tending performances, lack of scoring from the forwards, or defensive break downs in their own end, Ruff seems to have lost a handle on how to repair this once-dominant franchise.
Playing a goaltender 12 games in a row in the middle of a 3-7 record is not the answer. Continuing to allow defense men to log major minutes of ice time while ignoring the glaring mistakes they are making shift in and shift out is not going to work either.
My answer to helping solve these problems is rather simple actually. Make every player accountable for their actions on the ice, and stop coddling the players. Far too many times, we have heard Ruff stand at the podium during his post-game press conference and point out one or two players who he always singles out.
The fact is in the last 10 games, he could easily call out seven or 10 players consistently. This has been Ruff’s M.O. for years now though, and I doubt it will change.
On to the coddling issue. He needs to stop making some practices/morning skates optional. Yes, Lindy, we all get that some players are sore and they have nagging injuries, but just like in any other field of work, if you give some people and inch, they take a mile.
How about making the players skate for a few hours on Sundays? I know this is a notorious day off in Ruff’s mind. But letting the players sit home, or go out carousing on a Saturday evening is probably not the answer either.
Here is a novel concept. Make the players earn days off. Let them earn optional skates/practices. Much like the rest of the world, we earn our days off at our jobs by actually showing up and working. I know this is a professional sport, and things are a little different, but it is obviously not working the way he has it set now.
If this recent trend continues for Ruff and the Sabres, they will be dropping like a rock through the Eastern standings very soon.
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In what appeared to be another late rally by the Buffalo Sabres, Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Hendricks quieted the capacity crowd at the HSBC Arena, beating Patrick Lalime in the 11th round of a sudden-death shootout to earn a 4-3 victory Saturday night.
Hendricks faked a wrist shot in the slot to freeze Lalime, and then buried a backhand in the open cage.
“Well, it’s a lot of fun,” said Lalime of the shootout finish. “It would have been a lot more fun if we would have won.”
The Sabres’ backup made 27 saves in the loss, and remains one win shy of his 200th career NHL victory.
“He played really well,” said Sabres forward Clarke MacArthur. “It’s too bad we couldn’t get him one in the shootout. He made a lot of great saves and he battled hard tonight.”
Tim Connolly, Thomas Vanek, and Jochen Hecht scored for Buffalo in the shootout, but goaltender Craig Anderson stymied the rest of the Sabres’ shooters—including MacArthur—ending Buffalo’s win streak at six games.
After a poor start in the game’s first 40, Buffalo roared back with two goals in the third to tie the contest at three apiece. Vanek banked in his own rebound following a nifty pass from line mate Drew Stafford halfway through the third to narrow the deficit to one goal. Hecht then evened the score when his screened wrist shot from the point found the mesh.
“Obviously, we came out better in the second and third and we worked hard,” MacArthur said. “It’s just disappointing to have that slow start. We were all over them in the third. Anderson played really well to keep him in at the end.”
Colorado was able to get on the board first when Buffalo defenseman Henrik Tallinder coughed up the puck inside his own end. Consequently, Matt Duchene received a one-timed pass from Hendricks to beat a sprawling Lalime.
Less than six minutes later it was Duchene again who buried a loose puck in a mad scramble around the Buffalo goal. Duchene, NHL’s rookie of the month for December, now has seven goals and 15 points since Dec. 2.
“Our execution early in the game wasn’t very good again,” said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. “We had some guys missing passes, we had passes that any team, any player at this level should be able to make and should be able to catch. And when you miss those passes early you just give up possession. And I don’t think our possession was very good.”
The Sabres finally got on the board late in the second frame when center Paul Gaustad found Stafford in the slot for a one-timer past Anderson on the power play. Colorado, however, would answer back just 62 seconds later when Brandon Yip ripped a quick wrist shot past the stick side of Lalime to regain the two-goal lead.
In the third period, Ruff switched to two five-man units, and eventually it paid off.
“I think sometimes the five-man units, which has been used in the past—I think Detroit was the most famous team for using them—if you can breed a little familiarity, you can do a lot of cheating, you can do a lot rotating,” Ruff said.
In the late goings, Ruff paired Tallinder and Tyler Myers with the Connolly, Hecht, and Jason Pominville line, which was responsible for the game-tying goal. Hecht’s shot from the point was ironically screened by Tallinder in front to beat Anderson high glove side.
“I thought in the third period we generated some pretty good momentum,” Ruff said. “Once we scored the goal we got them on their heels and looked like we had a shot at coming back.”
The Sabres will get a rest Sunday, he said, before three-straight days of practice prior to the team’s annual West Coast road trip.
Buffalo will travel to Atlanta to play the Thrashers on Thursday and to Long Island to play the Islanders on Saturday before five-straight against Phoenix, Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, and Vancouver.
“I think it’s good to get some rest and practice,” Lalime said. “I think even at this time of the year you want to make sure you’re sharp—big road trip coming up. We’re going to recharge the battery and make sure we’re ready for the big road trip.”
This article is featured in The Record Student Press at Buffalo State College.
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Without a doubt, the key to the Buffalo Sabres’ success has been Ryan Miller.
His .935 save percentage—tops in the NHL. A GAA of just over 2—bested by only Antti Niemi’s 1.82 and Tuuka Rask’s 1.92. His five shutouts tie him with Ilya Bryzgalov and future Hall of Famer Marty Brodeur for the league lead. Only Brodeur (27) has more wins this year than Miller’s 25.
By all accounts, Miller should be a heavy favorite to win the Vezina—and maybe even the Hart—if he continues his exploits. He stopped 48 out of 50 shots as the Sabres held off the Leafs to win 3-2 on January 8. Rarely do you see him have an off night, and when he does, you wouldn’t know it by the way he plays in his next start.
He hasn’t been the only driving force behind the Sabres, who have returned to the top of the standings after back-to-back seasons missing the postseason.
That’s where Tyler Myers enters the picture.
There have been many times I’ve listened to the Sabres games and have heard it mentioned that media members of opposing teams have complemented the 19-year-old’s play.
It’s hard to believe that Myers is a rookie, even harder to believe that he is as young as he is. But it has been a while since the Sabres have had a game-changing rookie such as Myers. He is a plus-9, which is tied for second on the team. His 26 points is two behind number-one draft pick John Tavares.
Myers had his best night as a Sabre in the previously mentioned January 8 game, when he scored two goals and tacked on an assist for his first three-point night. Fans are beginning to call for Sabres G Darcy Regier to lock Myers up for 10-15 years and ensure that the teenager is a Sabre for years to come.
Many have anointed Tavares as the Calder frontrunner. But it would be foolish to not include Myers in the discussion. Only two Sabres have won the award—Hall of Famer Gilbert Perralut and Tom Barrasso. Nine defensemen in history have won it—the 1966-67 winner, a 19-year-old by the name of Bobby Orr, went on to have a pretty good career in the league.
The Sabres are still flawed. Their power play has been less than stellar, but it is starting to come around. Their big money players, namely Thomas Vanek and Derek Roy, havem’t played to expectations.
But Sabres fans are hoping for the one time this season when it all comes together. Then, there’s no telling how far this team will go—maybe winning the one trophy that has evaded them all these years—the Stanley Cup.
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As I continue to learn more about hockey, I often find myself almost subconsciously comparing it to soccer. Perhaps this is inevitable, given that I am English, but the similarities’ between the two games is definitely a factor.
I now realise it is not as simple as this. For example, one rule I have always applied to soccer is that once your team has a three-goal lead in any game, they are a safe bet to win.
Of late, the Buffalo Sabres have been doing their best to make me realise this theory doesn’t translate to hockey. Two comeback wins from three-goal deficits will do that.
In hindsight, maybe hockey is better compared to the five-a-side equivalent of soccer: Indoor venue, smaller field, fewer players, more chances and consequently more goals.
However, last night’s matchup between Buffalo and the Toronto Maple Leafs gave me the chance to compare another aspect of hockey to soccer: local rivalries.
In Britain, games between two teams from the same city are often referred to as derbies (apologies to anyone who feels that they have just been patronised). These fixtures are renowned for the passion that it brings out in local fans.
Family and friends become divided, no matter how close they are to each other under normal circumstances. All bets are off as everyone loses any sense of rational thought. And more often than not, this animosity spills over onto the field between the two sets of players.
With a few notable exceptions (New York Yankees and Mets, Chicago Cubs and White Sox, etc) this doesn’t apply in quite the same way to North American sports. This is partly due to the size of the country in comparison (meaning many fans don’t travel to away games), as well as the fact that, apart from New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, not many cities have more than one team in the same sport.
This is not to say that there aren’t any teams that share a longstanding, bitter rivalry with other clubs. The best examples that immediately spring to mind are the Yankees versus the Boston Red Sox, the Chicago Bears versus the Green Bay Packers and the Boston Celtics versus the Los Angeles Lakers, to name but a few.
And you can’t forget rivalries for teams within the same state or province (e.g. the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, etc).
In any event, I watched the game between Buffalo and Toronto, intrigued by what might transpire. I was hooked from the start.
I appreciate that it can never compare to actually being at a game, but the heated atmosphere was evident, even on the television. With the possible exception of games in Montreal, nowhere does Toronto enjoy a bigger road support than in Buffalo.
The fans were into the game right from the word go. Players from both sides fed off the energy from the crowd, resulting in fast-paced, hard-hitting, end-to-end action.
Another aspect of derby games in Britain is that you can throw the formbook out of the window. It doesn’t matter which team is better, the other side will always raise their game for local affairs.
This definitely applied to the game in Buffalo, where you wouldn’t have thought that Toronto was 19 points worse off than the opposition. In fact, overall, the Maple Leafs were the better team on the night.
Ultimately though, Toronto showed exactly why they are near the bottom of the Eastern conference. Three early power play opportunities yielded nothing. Buffalo on the other hand, scored goals on each of their first three power plays to take a commanding three-goal advantage.
However, in one final reminder of the comparisons to derby games, Toronto fought back as they tried to prove yet again that my theory regarding three-goal leads was redundant for the NHL. Two goals had everyone (including me) on the edge of their seat right to the very last second.
In the end, thanks to the outstanding play of goaltender Ryan Miller, the Sabres hung on for a hard-earned victory, much to the delight of the home fans.
The last live NHL game I went to was Toronto’s 2008-09 season-opener at home to Montreal. However, after last night’s game, I will be doing everything within my power to attend a game between Buffalo and Toronto in the very near future, (preferably at the HSBC Arena) in part to savour the atmosphere of a compelling rivalry.
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This article could get ugly.
Not literally, but I really don’t expect any compliments, at least, coming in that comments section down below.
NHL Jersey Rankings have surprisingly been on the rise recently in terms of input, but I don’t think there’s been one like this.
But, no, I’m not just doing it to stir up some talk. I really do think that “slug” in Buffalo deserves to be among the top, maybe even the best…you’ll just have to read and see.
These rankings were determined by a combination of both home and away rankings, both of which are entirely my opinion only.
So, go ahead and enjoy…and remember that this is me, not you. So you don’t have to agree, because that’s not my job. But do put in your feelings if you want in the comments section…that’s what it’s for!
Recently, the theme for the Buffalo Sabres appears to have centered on records and milestones.
Two straight 4-3 victories over the Pittsburgh Penguins and Atlanta Thrashers marked the first time in their history that Buffalo had won consecutive games after recovering from a three-goal deficit.
The three-goal blitz in the first 2:11 of their 5-3 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning was the fastest three-goal start in franchise history.
Lindy Ruff earned his 465th victory with the win against Tampa Bay. This moved him into sole position of fourth place for career wins with one team. The Sabres’ head coach now needs another 35 victories to match Toe Blake’s 500 wins with the Montreal Canadiens.
(Speaking of Ruff, he was part of Buffalo’s previous record for their quickest three-goal start, scoring the second of the Sabres’ three goals in the first 2:17 during a game against the New York Islanders in 1980.)
Now, as the Sabres prepare for back-to-back games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Colorado Avalanche, another milestone is within reach. Backup goaltender Patrick Lalime needs one more win to reach 200 for his career.
To put this into perspective, only 65 goaltenders have reached 200 victories in the history of the NHL. Interestingly, Lalime also holds the record for the longest unbeaten start to a career (14-0-2).
Overall, the former Pittsburgh draft pick has a career record of 199-163, as well as 40 ties and 15 overtime or shootout losses.
Ruff has already announced that his No. 2 net-minder will start in one of the two games this weekend. However, despite the fact that Colorado is the stronger opponent, Ryan Miller is apparently in line to start in goal tonight against Toronto.
With one of the better road records this season (13-8-4), the Avalanche will provide tough opposition for the Sabres. However, Lalime has been on fire of late, going 3-0-1 in his last four outings (including a 1.34 GAA and .960 save percentage).
Talking about the Quebec native’s performances of late, including the game against Pittsburgh, Ruff told the Associated Press, “Everybody on the team is happy for him. He’s a good guy, but to be able to step in and win games and help us dig one out of a pretty big hole was important for us.”
The Sabres desperately need to continue their recent momentum by winning both games this weekend and, in the process, giving 35-year-old Lalime his milestone. Certainly, few players are more deserving than the Quebec native, and it could set the team up perfectly before they embark on their season-defining seven-game road trip.
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If you ask me, I would say the Buffalo Sabres have the biggest opportunity they’ve had for success in a while. They’re winning games by playing well on both sides of the ice, mainly the defensive side.
Their goalie, Ryan Miller, is the best in the NHL right now, leading the league in save percentage and coming in second in GAA (I don’t count Rask because he’s only played in 18 games). However, that’s something you probably already know.
The Sabres’ defense has been the storyline around the team for the entire season. The Sabres are showing why a solid defense beats a solid offense.
Right now, Buffalo’s offense is 15th in the NHL, with 2.74 goals per game. That’s worse than Florida (12th), Philadelphia (ninth), and Atlanta (fifth).
The thing about those three teams is that they are out of the top eight. They have been scoring a lot, but have not been able to play solid defense.
If you were to ask me, I’d say that they had the saying backwards. The best offense is actually a strong defense.
I talked about this in another article that I wrote (read article ) that talked about the new NHL, and how the biggest mistake with the new rules is the emphasis on offense.
The Sabres have shown that to be true during the first half of the season. Their offense is 15th in the NHL, but they are still second in the Eastern Conference.
You compare this to other teams that are beating the Sabres in offense, but aren’t even in the top eight because their offense can’t keep up with the mistakes of their defense. Buffalo has figured out the system they need to win.
Honestly, I think that it’s a really good thing that they can score over 30 fewer goals than the Capitals, and still be ahead of them in the standings.
I’m going to say the same thing as everybody else: The Sabres will go far because of a strong defense.
See more of my NHL opinions at Tips for Hockey
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